1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power pack having provision for mounting both a "super-thin" lighting element of the type described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/432,707, filed May 2, 1995, and a light emitting diode (LED) on a wide variety of surfaces and objects.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/432,707, filed May 2, 1995, and entitled "Super-Thin Lighting Arrangement For A Moving Object," discloses a lighting arrangement for moving objects of the type consisting of a movable base and a main object, such as roller skates, ice skates, and skate boards having a number of uniquely advantageous features, many of which are incorporated into the present invention.
The first of these features has to do with mounting of the lighting controlled by the power pack in a variety of different parts of the moving object, to enhance the attractive of the objects and, in the case where the object is to be worn, protect the wearer by making the wearer more visible to motorists. The larger the area of the lighting elements, the greater the visibility of the object and the wearer, and the greater the possibility of creating attractive designs when the lighting elements are lit. As a result, the copending "moving object" application provides for including lighting both on the moving base, which could take the form of a roller or ice skate bracket, and on the main object itself, which could take the form, for example, of the boot of a roller or ice skate. Basically, this is the feature of universality, i.e., of being able to provide illumination of more than one surface, although the prior application did not extend the feature of universality to beyond different parts of the object.
The second feature has to do with the fact that while electro-luminescent and other super-thin lighting elements can by themselves result in an attractive and advantageous lighting arrangement, as discussed at length in the copending application, other types of lighting elements may still be useful even in contexts where super-thin lighting elements are also used, and thus the copending application discloses the concept of including on the same object both super-thin lighting elements, such as electro-luminescent (EL) or photo-luminescent (PL) strips, and also LEDs, although the disclosure with respect to the use of alternative types of lighting elements is very general, and no specific structure therefor is disclosed except a brief mention of the possibility of molding light bulbs into the boot of a roller or ice skate.
The third feature of the arrangement disclosed in the copending application and utilized or improved upon in the present application has to do with modularity and ease of assembly. In particular, the copending application discloses a unique design for mounting the EL strips to the power pack by providing terminals on the outside of the pack to which different shaped lighting element support brackets could be mounted. This design results in an integral power pack lighting fixture which can have a variety of shapes and which is extremely simple to install, allowing the user to easily vary the shape of the lighting fixture.
The present invention builds upon these features of universality (in terms of both the surfaces to which the lighting arrangement can be mounted and the type of lighting element) and modularity/ease of assembly to provide a universal power pack suitable for use in a wide variety of applications beyond those disclosed in the copending application.
One of the principal problems solved by the present invention is that, while the power pack design disclosed in the copending application provides excellent lighting coverage and versatility, it is ill-suited for the different surfaces of the moving object, leaving few options for placement of the power pack, and requiring wires to be run for extended distances from the power pack to the various lighting elements on the-different parts of the object.
In addition, the present invention extends the concept of a lighting fixture mountable to the housing of the power pack via conductive mounting posts to LED containing fixtures. This results in a truly modular design in which numerous different lighting designs, including EL and LED based lighting designs, can easily be mounted on the same basic housing, with the basic housing being easily adaptable for a wide variety of different surfaces and objects.
At this point, it should be noted that the copending application is by the same Inventor as the present application, and therefore is not prior art, either by law or admission. Instead, the present invention is an improvement over the novel power pack design of the copending application. While it is especially suitable for the type of moving object disclosed in the copending application, the design principles involved appear to have much broader applicability than just moving objects of the type described in the copending application.